“Since raw food is so much easier to digest, much of our energy can then be channeled to healing our body,” she says. Aside from the personal benefits, “you are also supporting your local farmers.”

The shift was gradual and certainly not difficult for Sonia. She had been a vegetarian for many years before embracing her advocacy for raw. “As a matter of fact, welcoming raw food in my life added spice and more dishes to my daily menu!”

Since then, Sonia has gone from living healthy to preaching about it. She conducts three-hour group classes on raw food to a mixed group of students, professionals, senior citizens and people with health conditions.

And while she has since added a food processor and dehydrator to her tools, she maintains that raw food is the simplest, most inexpensive, best option of all. “Vegetables, fruits and nuts are not at all pricey,” she said.

These simple raw vegan dishes are easy to prepare. “You will only need very basic and simple ingredients that you find in regular kitchens,” she says

One also has to look at the long-term effects of eating healthy – hospital bills, doctors’ fees and medicine one does not anymore have to pay for.

Most importantly, eating healthy is not just a fad. Sonia relates she was aghast that some young people were concerned with what they eat, all right – not whether it is healthy but whether it was Instagram-able.

“Now I hope that’s a fad!” she says.

Still, she prefers to lead by example, refusing to exert pressure on family and friends to embrace the lifestyle that she has.

“It’s also a myth that there is one diet that is perfect for all…we are all different, we have different needs, and what may be good for me may not always be what the person needs,” she says. Her purpose has always been to show people her journey to health, healing and happiness. “In the process, I hope I would touch hearts and bring them with me.”